Three Generations of Building Brings Stability to Business

It was during the housing boom after World War II that Evertt and Orville Myers began building houses. Over the years, the business evolved and Don Myers, Evertt’s son, became part of the team.

Now, 42 years later, Don Myers and his son, Mark, own Don Myers and Associates, one of the oldest residential building companies in the state.

“We’ve been here for three generations,” says Mark Myers. “And in this business, a lot of times, people are considered to have been around for a long time when they have been in business for five or six years. We’ve obviously taken care of our customers to have been able to stay in business for so long.”

Changing expectations

A black-and-white photo on the company’s office wall shows Evertt and Orville Myers posed in front of the skeleton of a small, simple home.

“That was a nice home back then,” Myers says of the structure. “It’s what someone might consider a nice garage nowadays. I remember in the 1970s, a 2,400-SF home was damn near a mansion, and now it’s pretty much a commodity.”

The average home size has grown from 2,400-SF to 5,000-SF per home, Myers estimates, and size isn’t the only thing that has changed since he joined the business two decades ago. “It used to be that 1 1/2 baths was a big feature, now it’s three, [or] 3 1/2 baths,” Myers says.

Customers’ knowledge and expectations have also increased dramatically, he adds.

“A home is a big investment, a huge chunk of your retirement savings, so it’s important that you make the right decisions,” says Myers. “It used to be color was the big decision; and, overall, customers would choose their wallpaper, brick, external color and carpet color and that’s it. Now, the amount of choices and detail we are expected to go into on the front-end is tremendous. We just did a home with all of the fiber optics of the ‘smart homes.'”

Company growth

Since its founding, the company has grown to employ six people on a full-time basis and about 75 sub-contractors. Mark handles most of the on-site tasks, while his father takes care of the large volume of paperwork and bank dealings. His mother, Pat, still does all the accounting for the company.

“When the workload is light, my foreman, myself and maybe someone else will do most of the inside trim on a home,” Myers says.

Custom homes comprise about 80 percent of the firm’s business, Myers estimates, but the company does build some “spec” homes.

“We build our spec homes well, because we never know if we are going to be living there or not,” Myers laughs.

Affordable safety

Don Myers and Associates’ current project is Saddlebrook Farms in Rogers, which Myers describes as Northwest Arkansas’ first “affordable” gated community. The homes, while elegant, will be less expensive than the massive houses in the gated communities of Pinnacle or Beau Terre.

“Our core market, middle- and upper-management, are starting to travel more and more and more,” Myers says. “For a long time, we have emphasized that our developments have no through traffic for security reasons. This is just taking it to the next step.”

When the streets of Saddlebrook Farms are completed, the building will begin. The new development has several restrictive covenants, the first being that only certified builders can be used for building. In the company’s last development, all but one of the lots now contain homes built by Myers and Associates.

“I can write restrictive covenants all day,” says Myers. “Or I can be a little more selective on who I let build so I can say ‘Hey, we need a little more style here.’ You can do what you like on the inside, but the outside has to be nice.”

Each of the 30 lots in the development is of above average size, which is becoming a more frequent request of custom builders. The community’s gate system contains all the high-tech features a customer would expect: anti-crushing devices to protect children and vehicles, restricted access for delivery and maintenance workers (if a delivery is expected on Wednesday morning, that worker’s access code only works during that time period), instant access for emergency vehicles and a telephone system that allows visitors to dial a home and request admission. Landscaping, a central mail house and community sprinkler systems are also present.

Importance of listening

While Myers attributes the turnover in the construction business to the high-stress levels, he explains his company’s longevity by the family’s love of listening and the work.

“Dad’s always preached that you have to get along well with people,” Myers says. “You have to know all of the technical skills, but you also have to meet the needs of people and listen to them. A customer will tell you what they want, and, once I understand that, it is an easier process.”

He says that he takes his projects personally and remembers each of the houses he has helped build over the years.

“It always hurts my feelings when I drive by a home that we built and it’s in disrepair.”